Digital signage for brick & mortar retail.

Retail is not dead. It’s just evolving. Here’s how to stay on top.

Retail businesses today face a massive challenge. In our über-connected world, consumers have access to endless shopping choices. Comparing prices or ordering online just requires a quick Google or Amazon search. In fact, 80% percentage of shoppers report that they actively compare prices online when shopping in-store. So how can brick and mortar retailers continue driving sales? One solution is to bring unique digital experiences into the physical store.

How it Works

Leading retailers around the world are turning to digital signs and kiosks in order to bring digital experiences into their boutiques, shopping malls and big-box stores. Platforms like XOGO can be used to create interactive experiences, where content changes when a shopper pushes a button, scans an RFID tag, or simply walks past a screen. Brands are beginning to leverage QR codes in their digital content in order to link customers to additional information online, or even to offer coupon codes in exchange for a quick email signup. We've even helped retail customers incorporate audience-recognition tools into their retail experiences, in order to anonymously track how many people walked past a given screen, or viewed an ad for more than X number of seconds. The goal is to create an interactive experience to help shoppers interact with your brand, and to set you apart from the competition on the next shelf.

Success Story: Microsoft’s Store-Within-a-Store

Our work with Microsoft Xbox is a prime example of how a retailer can bring digital experiences into the physical retail space. Microsoft sells its Xbox products online, but also through electronics stores all over the world, like Best Buy and Costco here in North America. 

Consumers love to visit these retailers in order to physically touch and experience the latest Xbox products before purchasing. In order to capture shoppers’ attention in the stores, Microsoft worked with XOGO to design and deploy a digital “store within a store” concept, with screens running looping videos about the latest Xbox products. In some of the busier locations, we connected people-detection sensors to the media players, so the content will visibly change when someone walks near a screen. This always makes shoppers smile, as they are greeted by (for example) a video of Master Chief telling them about the latest Halo game. Microsoft salespeople can even log into XOGO Manager and use Realtime Mode in order to flip through videos and images stored on the media player - even “hidden” content that would not otherwise appear in the rotation (for example, additional game titles or the latest Xbox accessories).

Perhaps the best part about the store-within-a-store concept, however, is that it allows brands like Microsoft to update the content playing on their screens - instantly and from anywhere. It’s no longer necessary to print and install expensive graphics at hundreds of stores in order to do a product launch or run a holiday promotion. Authorized employees can simply update their XOGO playlists and click save. Within minutes the messaging across hundreds of screens has been updated.

Works for Small Businesses, Too

Small retailers are also taking advantage of XOGO in a big way.  Last year one of our boutique clothing-store customers began using XOGO on a thin, outward-facing screen hung behind their plate glass window. The goal was simply to draw more business into the shop and advertise fresh new styles. They noticed a whopping 17% uptick in revenue the first month after installing their digital sign, and plan to install another one at their upcoming second location. Those are amazing results, considering they only needed to invest in a XOGO Mini Max ($69.99), a XOGO Pro subscription ($20/month), and an inexpensive digital screen.

Summary

Digital signage is breathing new life into brick-and-mortar retail stores. It allows brands to control their messaging at all times, to bring fun interactive experiences to customers, and it's much more affordable than printing marketing materials every time that a change is needed. Please contact us via the form below to discuss how XOGO can help you take retail to the next level.

Take-Aways

• Digital signage allows retailers to effectively advertise products and services - even to passersby

• Digital signage allows brands to control their messaging and ads within 3rd party retail locations

• XOGO is easy and inexpensive enough for retailers of any size

• XOGO enables interactive retail experiences i.e. triggering content via sensors, buttons and Realtime Mode